Becoming a mother is one of the most beautiful events on earth. We all have different stories to tell of how this unfolded. Some good, some bad and some totally unforgettable. I believe most mothers will agree with the latter. I want to share mine with you…
I knew I was pregnant before I even took the test! I just had a feeling and I was right.
Fast forward to giving birth….
My due date was 25 September but I went 2 weeks overdue. In the first week of my “overdue” I felt extremely heavy and I could barely walk, my pelvis was sore. Being a first time mother I also confused Braxton-Hicks contractions with the real deal. We went to the hospital, got checked and I was 3cm dilated. I was told to get my snacks ready, take a long hot bath and baby will definitely arrive the next day. Did all of that, now we wait…
Baby did not come and obviously grew bigger by the day. I was admitted for an elective c-section as baby was now too big and they did not want to risk anything. The doctor also noticed that the discomfort (sometimes pain) I experienced on my left side was his shoulder that was stuck in my pelvic bone. This was even more reason for the doctor to follow through with the c-section.
I was overnight at the hospital and still hoping that the doctor will change his mind in the morning about my c-section, I so badly wanted to give natural birth. In the morning my water broke and had contractions. I was supposed to go into theatre at 08h00 but went in at 07h00 immediately when I went into labour. The epidural was uncomfortable for me as they only got it in at the fifth attempt. I still had feelings on my right side and this is where they put in pain medication in my drip, it made me so so so drowsy! I remember being in a daze and then hearing my baby cry. They let me kiss him on the head as I was in no position to hold him at that time due to the medication.
On his way out he swallowed meconium, was bringing it up a lot and had to sleep in an incubator for the entire first day. My heart was sore because I so badly wanted to hold my baby. I was however allowed to feed him every 2 hours. He also struggled to latch properly and the breastfeeding nurses helped so much, he eventually got a hold of the technique and was a happy baby again.
In the recovery room I was shaking like crazy. I am still not sure whether I was feeling cold or if my body was in shock. They gave me some heat but the shaking continued…I guess my body was in shock then?
Benjamin was born 3 October 2018 at 3.6kgs and 50cm long. Yes, I know that I could have given natural birth but his shoulder was stuck and he would not be able to make an exit.
Because my body was in such shock my milk dried up! But I did not know this until my baby cried non-stop for almost 2 days. We thought he was sick and luckily I got the best medical team on my side. We had to stay in the hospital for another day until my milk returned and baby had to have 3 poopsie nappies. We were successful and went home.
My journey of motherhood started off rocky but I am so blessed to be walking it. Many people can only dream of it.
Let me end with this…it doesn’t matter how your birth story unfolded. It doesn’t make you less of a mother.
Love,
Authentic Mom xx